1. Field
Example embodiments of the following description relate to a processor, and more particularly, to a processor, using an intrinsic or embedded module.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional processor may include an intrinsic module 130 to perform additional operations, in addition to a basic intrinsic set. The intrinsic module 130 may be located within the conventional processor. Hereinafter, the conventional processor will be further described with reference to FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 illustrates a diagram of a structure of a conventional processor, using an intrinsic module 130.
Referring to FIG. 1, the conventional processor may perform basic operations, using a functional unit 120 located within a core 110, and may selectively perform additional operations other than the basic operations, using the intrinsic module 130. The intrinsic module 130 may also be located within the core 110, and may be connected to the functional unit 120.
Since the intrinsic module 130 is located within the core 110 and is connected directly to the functional unit 120 in the conventional processor, the intrinsic module 130 may be included in the same clock domain as the core 110. For example, when the core 110 is operated at a core clock 111 of 1 gigahertz (GHz), the intrinsic module 130 may also be designed to be operated at 1 GHz. In particular, since significant efforts are separately required by experts to design the intrinsic module 130 for a high operation speed of at least 500 megahertz (MHz), a burden on selecting the intrinsic module 130 as a predetermined solution may grow heavier. Additionally, there may be a need to design the intrinsic module 130 to be operated at a high speed, based on a clock domain of the core 110, even when the intrinsic module 130 does not require a high-speed operation.
The core 110 and the intrinsic module 130 are agreed about or need to be synchronized in a number of cycles that are required to output a result value in response to an operation request. Accordingly, to prevent incorrect calculation of waiting time (namely, latency) of both the core 110 and the intrinsic module 130, when a stall or wait occurs in one of the core 110 and the intrinsic module 130, the other needs to be also stalled, since the intrinsic module 130 is connected directly to the functional unit 120 within the core 110 in the conventional processor. In an example, when a stall 112 occurs in the core 110, the intrinsic module 130 also needs to be stalled. In another example, when a stall 132 occurs in the intrinsic module 130, the core 110 also needs to be stalled. Accordingly, the overall performance of the conventional processor may be reduced, due to an increase in a number of stalls occurring in the conventional processor.